Forget 4G, Huawei are preparing 5G for 2020 launch

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Here in the UK, we’re only just on the cusp of the full 4G roll-out, with EE’s exclusivity on super-fast mobile broadband speeds set to finish by the end of the summer. But that hasn’t stopped Huawei steamrolling ahead to get the lead in the development of 5G technology.

Tony Wen, Huawei’s top dog in 5G technology development, told the Wall Street Journal to expect a similar level of performance from 5G as that currently experienced with fixed-line fibre broadband connections.

And though development is coming along nicely, Wen also said not to hold your breath if you’re waiting for 5G’s release – a seven year wait (with a 2020 launch at the earliest) is expected before 5G becomes available to consumers.

Huawei are joined by Nokia, Ericsson and Alcatel in the race to develop 5G technology, with the latter three working as part of an EU funded project to ensure Europe doesn’t fall as far behind the rest of the world with the fifth-generation network technology as it did with the fourth.

Handset manufacturers will have to get to work too – so far only the Huawei Ascend P2 supports the speediest CAT4 LTE technology, with 5G likely to introduce new standards too.